


Lost in Worlds Far Away

by TreyandCo



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-09-07 11:16:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8798791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TreyandCo/pseuds/TreyandCo
Summary: Josh is a boy with no ambition and a broken arm.Tyler is a boy with fading bruises and a telescope.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I've been writing pieces just for myself for many years, but this is the first time I have actually posted my writing online.  
> With that in mind, I have no beta and edited this all myself so be sure to let me know if you find any mistakes.

“He just needs to apply himself.”  
  
This is the fifth time Josh had heard this already today. Parent-teacher conferences were always one of his most loathed days; being dragged around from teacher to teacher while feeling his parent’s constant disappointment over their boring son. He wished he could be more like his siblings who were all extraordinary in their own unique ways. But Josh? He was just kind of there, didn’t really do much of anything. No real talents and not even any real hobbies. He supposed he did alright, a solid B student in each of his classes. Every day he woke up, went to school, had dinner with his family, did his homework and went to bed. Occasionally he would go to a friend’s place and play some video games, maybe watch a movie. A pretty standard (and admittedly a rather boring) routine. It was even worse now, with less going on in his life since his fall.  
  
Josh had always shared a small bedroom with his brother, in a house that was overall quite crowded and loud. So every night when it came time to study he hoisted himself out his window and pulled himself up to the roof with his school bag, and did the days homework. It was the only place he could find peace and quiet, although sometimes his sisters would join him for a chat or a smoke. And then came the day Josh’s routine broke. Also broken that day was the gutter under his feet, his grip on the roof tiles, and his arm when he had landed on the ground. Hard.  
  
“Josh!”  
  
Looking up from where he had absentmindedly been picking at his cast (he had accidentally scratched out some of a giant, red ‘B’ so now one of the only signatures on it read as ‘PRENDON’), he realised that his parents and his English teacher had kept their conversation going while he zoned out.  
  
“...What?” His parents shared a look over his head, and his teacher just rolled her eyes, more than used to students who would rather be anywhere but parent-teacher conferences.  
  
“Look, Josh, you’re a smart kid, and I can tell you have potential. But I can’t help you if you don’t want to help yourself.”  
  
***  
  
That night after the usual dinner with his family, Josh decided he should probably get back into his normal routine; well, as normal as he could get considering he was not able to climb onto the roof with the cast and all. He had slacked off with his studies since he had broken his arm. So instead he grabbed his bag and headed out to find a new place to study. He didn’t have his license yet and it was too far to walk to the library, but he had a few places in mind. At first Josh thought he might try his friend’s homes, but after a few days of that he was reminded of how lacking their study skills were. Next were the few cafes within walking distance, but Josh was easily distracted and soon realised that the constant stream of people entering and exiting the building served as too much of a disturbance for him.  
  
He had only one place left in mind; there were some woods that started at the end of his street that he used to visit with his brother and sisters all the time as kids. He remembered there being a clearing that had long been a disused picnic spot. Josh figured he could camp out at one of the picnic benches at least until he thought of a new place to go, or until his arm healed.  
  
Only a short distance into the trees he noticed a new addition since his last visit many years ago, a little tree house. Figuring that this would probably be the best place to study while staying warm, he awkwardly shuffled his way up the ladder and into the doorway a few feet off the ground. As soon as he tumbled in though, he realised that he was not the first person to claim this space tonight.  
  
By the window, next to a rusty little telescope, was a boy. Josh didn’t recognise him, but he looked to be about the same age as himself. He had wild brown hair and a necklace with a cross dangling from it. Unsure whether the boy noticed his arrival, he set his bag down and cleared his throat, ready to apologise for disturbing the stranger and retreat from a potentially awkward situation.  
  
“If you’ve come to use the telescope, you’ll have to wait. I got here first.” Despite the haughty nature of his words, his tone was not mean. Instead it seemed genuine, like he was trying to placate Josh.  
  
“Err, no I’m not here for the- I was just trying to find some place to study.” He responded, thoroughly confused by the boys odd behaviour. He in turn just let out a gentle ‘hmm’, still not turning around to face Josh. There were a few moments of silence, and with the other boy not letting on that he would continue the conversation, Josh searched for something to say. “I’m Josh, by the way.”  
  
“Tyler.”  
  
More silence. “What are you looking at? Is there an eclipse or something tonight?”  
  
“No. Just looking.” With this vague answer, Tyler looked up from the telescope briefly to look at Josh, before looking back towards the sky. Josh was struck by how attractive the other boy was; with captivating dark eyes, little scars scattered over his face and permanent marker drawings spread across his arms. Every one of these things seemed to hold a story behind it and Josh found himself extremely intrigued by all the little pieces that made up this boy.  
  
With Tyler still not indicating that he was going to talk any more than he already had, Josh thought to himself. He couldn’t think of any other place to get the nights homework done and while it may seem awkward to share this space with a stranger, he supposed it was no different to sharing a table with someone at a library. With this in mind he sat and pulled his textbook out to get done what he actually came here to do. Hours passed with no change; just Josh reading and Tyler staring up into space, occasionally making notes into a little notebook with a picture of the solar system on the front.  
  
Eventually Josh finished his study, and with no other real reason to stay in the tree house any longer, he packed all his things up and made towards the doorway. Just as he started the awkward clambering down to the ground, he heard Tyler mumble out a farewell.  
  
***  
  
Despite the strange start to this study session, Josh still managed to get quite a bit of work done in this new place, so he decided to head back over there again the next day. He secretly hoped that Tyler would be there again. While the strange boy confused Josh beyond belief, he also intrigued him, and to be honest he liked the break in routine. So he was pleasantly surprised when a hand came through the doorway to help him up when he began the uncomfortable shuffle-wiggle motion into the tree house.  
  
“Nobody usually comes back a second time,” Tyler tells him when they are situated comfortably inside the little cabin. “So I guess you can use the telescope today.”  
  
Josh, unsure how to decline the other boys strange offer, shuffles over to the window and looks out. He has to admit the night sky is very pretty, not that he knows too much about it. He tells this to Tyler.  
  
And if yesterday Josh considered Tyler to be quiet and almost impossible to prompt into talking- today he was the complete opposite. For hours he spoke about space, and nothing but space, as Josh just looked wondrously up at the sky. He didn’t know that a person’s brain could hold so much information about just one topic. And when Tyler finally seemed to run out of things to explain, Josh thanked him for all that he had learnt. Tyler smiled.  
  
***  
  
“Why have I never seen you around before?”  
  
“I’m homeschooled.” Tyler looked uncomfortable, as he always did when Josh spoke about anything other than the sky above them. It was the weekend and despite having the house to himself, Josh still decided to come out to the woods like he had every day that week. Some days they sat in silence like the first day they met, other times they would chat, but never in length about anything other than space.  
  
“What’s it like?”  
  
“It’s cool, yeah. Can I draw on your cast?” It was obvious that Tyler was trying to change the subject, but Josh didn’t mind. Instead he just stuck his arm out to the other boy and watched as he worked.  
  
Of course, it was a picture of space. Little planets and stars and space stations floating all over his arm. It was spectacular, but then again Josh was starting to think everything Tyler did was spectacular. He somehow managed to loop the drawing around the small ‘Ryan’ and ‘Dallon’ on the cast; however he struggled a bit to incorporate the ‘PRENDON’. In the corner was a very small doodle of what looked to be a UFO, beaming someone up.  
  
“I really like this bit,” Josh said pointing to the little alien flying his ship. Tyler’s eyes shimmered at this with an emotion Josh had never seen him display, but couldn’t quite describe.  
  
“Yeah? You like aliens too?”  
  
“I mean, they’re always pretty cool in movies and stuff.” Tyler’s eyed started to dull again. Josh didn’t like that. He tried to think of a way to keep Tyler talking, to keep that look in his eyes. “Do you reckon they’re out there for real somewhere?”  
  
“I hope so.”  
  
***  
  
“Dude! What is this?”  
  
Josh looked up from his desk at Brendon as he sat next to him for their first lesson together of the day. The boy was looking in amazement at Josh’s cast, who fought the sudden desire to hide it from his view.  
  
“This is so cool, who did this for you?” Brendon grabbed his arm and began moving it side to side erratically, trying to take in every angle off it.  
  
“First of all, ow,” Josh deadpanned as he yanked his arm back from his friend. “Secondly, who says I didn’t do it?”  
  
“Josh, I love you, but the best you can do are stick figures, and even they look like the workings of toddlers!”  
  
“Whatever,” Josh huffed. He was saved from further inquisition by their teacher coming through the door. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t just told Brendon the truth; but for some reason he wanted to keep Tyler his secret for now.  
  
***  
  
“Do you wanna hang out at your place today?”  
  
Tyler looked startled by the innocent question. “What’s wrong with the treehouse?” His voice had an accusatory tone to it.  
  
“I mean, there’s nothing wrong with it, I guess. Just thought it would be cool to hang out someplace different, maybe watch a movie.”  
  
“Oh, okay. Well why don’t we head over to yours?”  
  
“Yeah right, and fight off all the Dun’s for access to the remote? No thanks.”  
  
“Mm that makes sense, but we’re already here now. Plus it’s such a clear night, we’ll get a perfect view of the sky. Maybe tomorrow we can go to mine.”  
  
***  
  
When tomorrow came around, Josh arrived at the tree house to find that Tyler had lugged over from his house an assortment of cushions and blankets in an effort to make the place more comfortable. He had even brought a packet of cookies for them to share between them. Instead of asking about their previous plans to hang out somewhere new, Josh just smiled and thanked Tyler for his effort.  
  
***  
  
Weeks passed and everyday Josh and Tyler would meet in the woods. Josh would talk about his life, not that there was ever all that much to talk about. Tyler would only ever talk about space, although now he also spoke a lot about aliens, and all his theories regarding them.  
  
And then one day Tyler doesn’t show up. And the next day. And the next day. Josh worries, but realises he doesn’t have the other boys number, know his address, or in fact even his last name. So all he can do is keep going to the tree house and hope he is there. On the fourth day his waiting pays off. Tyler is there, staring at him with a fading black eye and a busted lip.  
  
“Who did this to you?” Josh demands as he runs over to him. He grabs his chin, forces his head side to side and eyes all the little healing scratches and bumps.  
  
“It doesn’t matter,” he mumbles as he shakes his head. “Let’s just keep on looking.”  
  
Josh wants to keep talking about it, but he learnt a long time ago that it’s near impossible to get Tyler to speak when he doesn’t want to. Instead they sit in silence for a long time. Tyler watches the sky, Josh watches Tyler. And for the first time, Josh notices that Tyler doesn’t just seem to be observing, he is searching. He looks down at the little alien on his arm.  
  
“Have you found anything?” Josh manages to get out quietly, not wanting to break the fragile silence between them. Tyler gives him a sad smile.  
  
“No, not yet. But I have hope.”  
  
“You know, I really do believe that there’s something better out there for you. Even if it’s not right now, and even if it’s not up in the sky, there is definitely something.”  
  
Tyler looks over at him, and despite the pain in his cheek from the bruise and the pain in his lip from the cut, gives him a wide smile. He doesn’t want to admit it, and he isn’t quite ready yet to stop searching after all these years of doing it, but he starts to think that maybe he has already found his something better.  
  
Instead, he just whispers a ‘yeah’ and together they look back up into the sky.

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was inspired by my own solar system covered notebook, my 'I Want To Believe' poster hanging on my bedroom wall and the song Lay Down by DMA's (which I may have stolen the title from). I actually wrote this as an assessment for university about six months ago (with the main characters 'disguised' under the names Theo and James) but decided to edit it to become the twenty one pilots-themed piece of trash it was always meant to be.
> 
> If you enjoyed it please leave a comment or give it a kudos so I know whether to post any more of my writing in the future!


End file.
